SILVER SPRING, Md. - A religious survey of the incoming U.S. Congress shows an all-time high of 67 Roman Catholic Republicans, including six of the nine new Catholics in the House. There are 86 Catholics from the Democratic Party, the Catholics' longtime political home.

The biennial survey is conducted by Albert Menendez of Americans for Religious Liberty and posted on its Web site.

Catholics reached their highest total ever - 153 - and remained the largest denominational group, followed by Baptists (72), Methodists (61), Presbyterians (50), Episcopalians (41) and Jews (37). Six members listed no religious affiliation.

Most totals changed little from 2002. The largest declines were of three seats for Lutherans and Episcopalians.

The 38 new House members include one clergyman, United Methodist Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo.; Jess Fortenberry, R-Neb., who holds a divinity degree from the Catholic Franciscan University, and Kenny Marchant, R-Texas, who spent a year at the Church of the Nazarene theological seminary.

The data cover only 533 members because two Louisiana races for House seats await Dec. 4 runoffs.

HUNTINGTON, Ind. - The nine states with the heaviest Roman Catholic percentages in their populations all voted for John Kerry, data from the newly issued "2005 Catholic Almanac" show.The most Catholic states, in order, are: Rhode Island (63.5 percent Catholic), Kerry's own Massachusetts (47.7 percent), New Jersey (43.5 percent), New York (40.6 percent), Connecticut (38.7 percent), Illinois (31 percent), Wisconsin (30.5 percent), Pennsylvania (30 percent) and California (29.8 percent).Tenth-ranked Louisiana, which is 29.4 percent Catholic, went heavily for President Bush.The authoritative annual almanac, published by Our Sunday Visitor, says the 67,259,768 baptized Catholics nationwide are 23.2 percent of the population, up from 22.8 percent the previous year.

HAMILTON, Ontario - A synod of the Anglican Church of Canada's Niagara Diocese voted 213-106 to authorize blessings for same-sex couples, but Bishop Ralph Spence withheld his required endorsement for the measure to go into effect.Bishop Michael Ingham approved same-sex blessings in the New Westminster (Vancouver area) Diocese in 2002, after the synod there approved the idea for a third time, causing an international uproar.The Toronto Diocese takes up the issue Nov. 27.Spence said he personally agreed with the majority but must be "the bishop for all people" and "try to keep unity with the rest of the church."